The setting sun over distant mountains was nearly extinguished, spreading across the flat plains and dyeing the small river that wound around the camp in rippling blood-red hues.

Li Mu led his black warhorse to the riverside and personally groomed its entire coat with a bristle brush dipped in water, stroke by stroke.

As he bent down in complete concentration, Black Dapple turned its head and licked his outstretched, calloused palm with its tongue.

Li Mu looked at Black Dapple, a trace of barely perceptible gentle smile appearing in his eyes. He raised his hand and tenderly patted its head.

The young soldier named Liu Yong was running toward the river.

“General Li!”

Liu Yong called out to him—since Li Mu had been promoted to Commander a few days ago, the young soldier had changed how he addressed him.

Li Mu straightened up and turned to watch Liu Yong running toward him.

Liu Yong was an orphan who had fled from the north and became a soldier to earn his meals. A few years ago, after a battle while clearing the battlefield, he had been rescued from a pile of corpses by Li Mu, who was then only a centurion. After surviving, he had followed Li Mu ever since.

“General Li! Someone wants to see you!”

Liu Yong shouted at the top of his lungs.

He was clever as a monkey, strong, and blessed with naturally fast legs—it was these legs that had repeatedly saved his life in chaotic battles. Yet now, unusually, he was running out of breath.

“It’s that person! The eldest son of the Lu family!”

Liu Yong finally reached Li Mu, stopped, panting heavily while pointing behind him and gesturing continuously.

Li Mu turned to look.

Against the setting sun, a tall young man was striding toward them. The evening light bathed his entire figure in pale gold, and the wild wind blew at his robe’s edges. His expression was solemn as he approached directly, drawing ever closer until he stopped before Li Mu.

“Li Huben, I am Lu Jianzhi. I’ve come here presumptuously because I have something to say. May I ask Li Huben a question or two?”

His eyes looked straight at Li Mu, his tone calm, but deep in his gaze lay a suppressed, profound anger.

Though he showed little expression, even Liu Yong seemed to sense this.

Uneasily glancing at his superior, Liu Yong slowly backed away while continuously looking over his shoulder.

Li Mu set down his brush, washed his hands, and stood up to face him with a smile: “I don’t deserve such formality. Young Master Lu, please speak your mind.”

“Li Huben, why do you insist on seeking marriage with the minister’s daughter?”

Lu Jianzhi asked directly.

“Due to your military achievements, your reputation has grown tremendously. You could seize this opportunity to build good relations with all parties, ensuring smooth sailing and limitless prospects ahead. Why then do you risk universal condemnation, willing to bear the name of one who exploits gratitude for gain and seeks advancement through attachment, while simultaneously offending both the Gao and Lu families?”

“Do you think your superior, Situ Xu, truly supports you? He’s merely using you as a chess piece to humiliate the Lu and Gao families, drive a wedge between them, and profit from the discord!”

He paused slightly.

“If you offend both the Gao and Lu families, do you think Situ Xu can protect you for life? Moreover, I don’t speak ill of others behind their backs lightly. By simultaneously offending the Gao and Lu families, you’ll have no choice but to depend entirely on the Xu family. Given Situ Xu’s narrow temperament, he’s not one to tolerate others. Since he uses you as a chess piece, whether to employ or discard you in the future depends entirely on his whim. I see you as a heroic figure—are you truly willing to cut off your own retreat?”

Li Mu smiled: “I’m grateful for Young Master Lu’s high regard. May I ask what you hope to achieve with this visit?”

“I’ve heard that because you insist on seeking marriage with the Gao family daughter, Minister Gao has been forced to test you on the Double Ninth Festival.”

“What would it take for you to withdraw this notion and stop causing difficulties for the Gao family?”

After a moment of silence, Lu Jianzhi stared at Li Mu and asked.

The blood-red remnant of the sun on the distant mountain peak suddenly sank completely. The sky immediately turned ashen gray, and the light across the wilderness abruptly dimmed.

In the distance, returning crows cawed noisily.

The evening wind rose sharply, billowing both men’s robes.

Li Mu’s features seemed to acquire a faint shadow as the light faded, making his expression appear suddenly more cold and distant.

“I dare not claim mutual affection with the Gao family daughter, but we have known each other for many years and understand each other’s hearts. In my eyes, I have long regarded her as my unwedded wife. I just asked why you insist on seeking marriage with her, but you didn’t answer. If I’m not mistaken, it’s either for profit or for affection. If for profit, as I just said, by maintaining good relations with all families, plus your kindness to the Gao family, the benefits you could gain in the future far exceed what you can imagine today, not to mention the situation you might face after simultaneously offending the Gao and Lu families!”

“Li Huben, strong winds reveal sturdy grass, but they can also topple great trees. I’m not threatening you, but even if you truly succeed in becoming Minister Gao’s son-in-law while earning the Gao family’s hatred, whether a marriage forced through such means will be fortune or disaster for you—without me saying it, if you’re intelligent, you should be able to imagine.”

“If, however, you act out of genuine admiration and thus insist on competing with me…”

He glanced at Li Mu and emphasized his tone.

“Then I hope you’ll consider even more carefully. When I, Lu Jianzhi, befriend people, I don’t focus on family background but on character. However, the distinction between scholars and commoners is like a gulf in heaven—it’s an unchangeable reality we’re all trapped in, with no one able to transcend it. Marriage is even more so. I don’t look down on you, but if you truly act from genuine admiration, you should consider her situation even more. She’s never met you, let alone shared any mutual understanding. Have you considered how she feels upon hearing this news? Not to mention the various inconveniences she might face if she’s truly forced to marry you…”

Lu Jianzhi hesitated, then finally said:

“Inconvenience aside! For her, marrying into a commoner family would be seen as tremendous humiliation in others’ eyes. Li Huben, even if you act from genuine admiration, where does this leave her? How can she continue to associate naturally with old friends and relatives for the rest of her life as she did before?”

“Li Huben, don’t blame me for speaking so bluntly. But whether in terms of emotion or reason, you should judge whether what I’ve said makes sense.”

“She’s naive and pure-hearted. I can’t imagine how she would cope if she faced such circumstances in the future.”

“I earnestly hope you’ll show mercy to her, which would be showing mercy to yourself as well.”

After Lu Jianzhi finished speaking, he actually bowed deeply to Li Mu, then straightened up and stared intently at him.

Throughout his speech, Li Mu remained silent.

The sky was rapidly darkening, and the wild wind was becoming increasingly fierce.

His eyes seemed tinged with the gloomy color that filled the world after sunset, but his expression grew ever more calm.

“I don’t dare accept such great courtesy from Young Master Lu. Everything you’ve said is perfectly reasonable. But Young Master Lu doesn’t understand—in Li Mu’s eyes, there are no such words as ‘showing mercy.’ If I show mercy to others, who will show mercy to me?”

“I have asked to marry Luoshen of the Gao family, and I will not abandon this halfway through. Fortune, disaster, success, or failure—Heaven knows, Earth knows, but neither you nor I know. On the Double Ninth Festival, we’ll see the outcome.”

He returned the courtesy, turned around, and continued grooming Black Dapple’s mane.

Lu Jianzhi watched him, frowning tightly, then suddenly turned and left. His figure quickly disappeared into the fog-like dense twilight.

“General Li, what did he want with you just now?”

“Was it about Minister Gao’s daughter?”

Liu Yong, who had been watching from nearby, quickly ran over with curious questions.

Everyone in the army already knew that in two days, on the Double Ninth Festival, Minister Gao would test Li Mu, who sought to marry his daughter.

Everyone anticipated this event and had been discussing it these past few days.

Li Mu finished grooming the last section of the horse’s body, stood up, tossed the reins to Liu Yong, and smiled: “It’s getting dark. Let’s go back.”

…

By the day before the Double Ninth Festival, not only the temporarily stationed military camp outside the city, but almost all the citizens of Jiankang were excitedly spreading news as if they’d been injected with adrenaline.

Lu Jianzhi, the eldest son of the Lu family, had voluntarily requested to compete alongside Li Mu in Minister Gao’s examination on the Double Ninth Festival.

The winner would become the Gao family’s son-in-law.

Minister Gao would conduct his examination of both men on Fuzhou Mountain north of the city. Public viewing would be permitted, making it an open competition for choosing a son-in-law.

One was an outstanding young man among the rising generation of aristocrats—not only talented and elegant but also distinguished in battle, truly gifted in both literature and warfare, a heroic figure of the age.

The other was a young military officer from a commoner background who had made his name in the great northern campaign, respected and supported by thousands of soldiers, currently the most prominent figure.

All the emotions that had long accumulated from the confrontation between scholars and commoners seemed to explode completely because of this event.

Heaven favored them—the Double Ninth Festival dawned clear and crisp. Before daybreak, people began gathering at the foot of Fuzhou Mountain to watch the contest. As crowds grew, discussions began about who might win, with some even setting up gambling tables where correct bets on the winner could earn money. Many participated.

As dawn gradually broke, before the si hour, the usually quiet area below Fuzhou Mountain was packed solid with spectators, all craning their necks and waiting for the moment when Minister Gao would conduct his son-in-law selection examination.

At the si hour, accompanied by the authoritative sounds of path-clearing, Emperor Xingping also left the palace, riding in a simple palanquin surrounded by ceremonial guards and attendants.

The people all knelt to receive him.

Gao Qiao, Lu Guang, Xu Mi, and others followed on foot beside the imperial palanquin.

To mark the Double Ninth Festival, today’s examination was set at Fuzhou Mountain, a famous height-climbing spot in the northern suburbs.

A viewing platform halfway up the mountain, originally built for wealthy officials who enjoyed mountain excursions to rest during climbs, was converted into a judging area today. The ground was covered with felt, with several tables arranged on top. The center table was for the emperor, with seats for Gao Qiao, Xu Mi, Lu Guang, and others arranged in order on both sides.

From the moment he appeared, Gao Qiao’s expression was unusually grave. Lu Guang, seated nearby, stared at Xu Mi across from him with a cold smile after taking his seat.

Xu Mi was in good spirits, chatting and laughing with a nearby colleague until an attendant bent to his ear and whispered: “Situ, among the betting pools below the mountain, most are wagering on Young Master Lu’s victory.”

Xu Mi’s smile disappeared as he glanced at the dense crowd of heads at the mountain’s base and snorted.

At two quarters past the si hour, accompanied by the sound of a bell struck by the ritual official, Palace Attendant Feng Wei, chosen as today’s presiding officer, stepped forward to announce the beginning of the examination. He commanded the two men, Lu and Li, to come forward and perform the grand ceremony before Emperor Xingping. After receiving approval, he requested that Gao Qiao present the examination questions.